The Steam Deck Is Finally Way Easier To Get

PC gaming icon Valve released its long-awaited handheld gaming console, the Steam Deck, almost a year ago, but one wouldn't be faulted for not realizing it's been that long. Over the last year, it's been difficult to get a Steam Deck, so much so that some people on the reserve list created a way to estimate when each Steam Deck preorder would be fulfilled. The Steam Deck has been compared to the Nintendo Switch, but intended for PC gaming instead, giving players access to their entire Steam library on the go with very few drawbacks. The console has yet to really break into the mainstream for one important reason: a lack of supply – at least until now.

The GPU shortage over the last two years had a lot to do with the Steam Deck delays, as well as delays for the Xbox Series X|S and the PlayStation 5, as modern consoles depend upon having powerful chips to run modern games. However, the pains of the GPU shortage have eased significantly in 2022, partially thanks to the worldwide cryptocurrency crash – crypto mining requires a lot of computing power, and only recently have gamers been able to reliably buy modern GPUs at market value. For almost all of its existence, to buy a Steam Deck meant waiting on a never-ending reservation list, but as of October 6, 2022, the situation has changed for the better.

The Steam Deck and all of its accessories are in stock and available without delay, and no reservation is required. Although it officially released February 25, 2022, Valve's new handheld console is likely to become much more popular at the tail end of 2022 now that supply issues have been sorted out, especially when it claims to avoid issues like stick drift on the Nintendo Switch. But the Switch isn't the Steam Deck's only competitor.

The Switch being the first to the table meant getting the biggest slice of the pie, but it just doesn't have the performance power of the Steam Deck. The Razer Edge 5G, another handheld gaming console, is still shrouded in mystery and not much information has been revealed about it, but the Steam Deck being back in stock could be bad for the upcoming Logitech G Cloud. Logitech's handheld console is slated for release on October 18, 2022, less than two weeks after the Steam Deck's delays were sorted out.

Comparing the Logitech G Cloud and Steam Deck comes down to two major factors: price and power. Logitech's console will cost $350 on launch, while the Steam Deck costs $400. However, the aptly-named G Cloud can only play games from the Cloud, while games can be directly downloaded to the Steam Deck. The Switch is currently the Steam Deck's main competitor, but with what we know about the Razer Edge 5G and Logitech G Cloud consoles, those interested in handheld PC gaming are going to have to make some choices.